Exothermic heating element for permanent hair waving apparatus and method of producing the same



A. SIEBERT ENT FOR PERMANENT HAIR WAV APPARATUS AND METHOD OF PRODUCING Filed Jan. 21, 1937 THE SAME IN V EN TOR. JOHN A Sm-sm ar ATTORNEY r Patented Nov. 22, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,1awi04 John A. Siebert, San Francisco, Calif., assignor to Keelmo 00., San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of California Application January 21, 1937, Serial No. 121,430

9 Claims (01. 13.2-36.2)

This invention relates to exothermic heating elements for use in connection with permanent hair waving equipment and the method of making the same.

In an application for Letters Patent of the United States filed by Ralph M. Keele, entitled Method and apparatus for hair waving, filed May 16, 1936, Ser. No. 80,128, there is disclosed an apparatus for permanently waving hair on the human head which utilizes an exothermic .heating element for creating the temperature necessary to effect the curl.

It is the principal object of my present invention to provide an improved exothermic heat- 3 ing element for use in connection with a method and apparatus for permanently waving hair such as disclosed in the aforesaid application, and an improved method of making the same.

The invention is exemplified in the following description and illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the first step in the manufacture of my improved exothermic heating element.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the manner in which the sheet of absorbent material is folded prior to winding.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the completed exothermic heating element.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional view through the element when completed showing it mounted in a waving apparatus.

Referring more particularly to the accompany ing drawing, I there disclose an exothermic l5 heating element In which is cartridgelike in form and which is capable of use in connection with the method and apparatus for waving hair on the human head described and claimed in anapplication for Letters Patent of the United i0 States filed by Ralph M. Keele,-May 16, 1936,

bearing Serial No. 80,128.

It is highly desirable in practicing the method and using the apparatus just referred to that all of the exothermic compound employedreact sub- 43 stantially simultaneously so that the temperature rise to the maximum be rapid and exist for'but a comparatively short time period. It is preferred that the reaction commence from five to fifty seconds after the exothermic cartridge be im- 50 mersed in water, and the maximum temperature be reached in approximately two and a half minutes. Further, that a waving temperature endure for approximately six minutes;

Various exothermic compounds for generating heat upon the addition of water known to those skilled in the art may be employed. It is necessary, of course, that such a compound be comparatively stable and inactive in a dry state.

The basis of these compounds is a finely divided metal such as aluminum, an oxidizing agent and one or more salts of the alkaline group.

In a heating element for the use I have described, it is essential that water in a quantity sufficient to react properly with the selected amount of chemical be distributed to all of the chemical in, an exceedingly short period of time so that all of the chemical will react substantially simultaneously.

I accomplish this by forming my heating elements of alternate .layers of moisture absorbent material and exothermic compound. When the cartridge is immersed in water, water is absorbed by the layers of water absorbent material andthereby instantly distributed to all of the exothermic compound. The absorbent qualities of the material and its area relative tothe amount of exothermic compound used are such that just a sufficient amount of water is absorbed by the material to properly react with the quantity of exothermic material present in the cartridge.

To manufacture the device, a sheet of absorbent material II is employed and on which is distributed a thin layer I2 of an exothermic compound in dry form. This coating is placed on the sheet substantially centrally thereof but spaced from the marginal edges of the sheet. The side edges I4 of the sheet II are then folded over as shown in Fig. 2 to prevent the escape of the dry material through the ends of the subsequently completed cartridge, and thereafter the ends of the sheet material are folded over as illustrated in Fig. 2. Thereafter the envelope thus formed is rolled helically just sufiiciently tight so that the convolutions are in intimate contact.

I prefer that the absorbent material be a highly absorbent paper but I have used and have found satisfactory various other absorbent materials.

After the envelope has been rolled to 'form the cylindrical cartridge, it is maintained in this rolled condition either by a wrapped winding 15 or in any other suitable manner to prevent unrolling thereof.

There are a number of well known exothermic compounds which I may employ and I do not limit myself to any particular exothermic compound.

Before the cartridge is placed within the waving apparatus it is immersed in water. This water is absorbed by the absorbent material which I prefer to term a fluid transmitting material, and the water passes through all the layers of the absorbent material by capillary attraction. The water absorbed by the absorbent material is just sufiicient to properly react with the amount of chemical composition in the element, and is not suificient to super-saturate the chemical.

It is seen that by providing alternate layers l6 and ll of a moisture absorbent material and exothermic compound, I am enabled to get'the moisture distributed to all the chemical in a comparatively short period of time so that all of the compound will react substantially simultaneously. The chemical that I employ takes approximately from five to fifty seconds to commence reacting after it has been immersed in fluid, and reaches its maximum temperature in approximately two and a half minutes, and endures sufliciently to effect a permanent wave.

The wave is effected in approximately six minutes.

I desire to point out that if a cartridge such as I have disclosed here were made with a solid coreof exothermic compound, that it would not react in a satisfactory manner in that the fluid would be unable to penetrate the core so as to obtain reaction properly. However, by providing my helically wound element consisting of thin alternate layers of moisture absorbent material and exothermic compound, that the moisture is rapidly distributed to all of the chemical in a very short time period so that the same will all be subject to the activating action of water simultaneously.

It is also apparent that my improved exothermic heating element is very inexpensive to manufacture and I have found in actual practice that it is highly suitable for the purpose to which it is to be put.

While I have illustrated and described my improved cartridge and the method of manufacturing the same in detail, it is obvious that various changes may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention as claimed. I

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. As an article of manufacture, an exothermic heating element composed entirely of a plurality of alternate and comparatively thin layers of moistureabsorbent material and exothermic compound in a dry state, the latter being capable of generating heat upon the addition of water.

2. An exothermic heating element of the character described comprising a plurality of alternate layers of moisture absorbent material and an exothermic compound in a dry state, the latter being capable of generating heat upon the addition of water, the amount of absorbent material relative to the compound being. such as to absorb a sufllcient amount of'water to activate all of the compound substantially simultaneously.

3. An exothermic heating element of the character described which is in the form of a substantially solid cylinder and which is composed entirely of a plurality of alternate layers of a moisture absorbent material and an exothermic compound in a dry state, the latter being inactive in a dry state but capable of generating heat upon the addition of water.

4. An exothermic heating element of the charater described which is substantially in the form of a substantially solid cylinder and which comprises a plurality of alternate layers of a moisture absorbent material and an exothermic compound in a dry state, the latter being inactive in a dry state but capable of generating heat upon the addition of water, the amount of the said absorbent material relative to, the compound being such as to absorb a suflicient amount of water to activate .all of the compound substantially simultaneously without super-saturating the same.

5. As an article of manufacture, an exothermic heating element comprising a sheet of absorbent material, a layer of exothermic compound in a dry'state disposed thereon, the sheet of material with the layer of compound being wound so as to form a substantially solid cylindrical cartridge of alternate layers of the moisture ab.-

sorbent material and the exothermic compound.

6. As an article of manufacture, an exothermic heating element comprising a sheet of absorbent material, a layer of exothermic compound in a dry state disposed thereon, the sheet of material with the layer of compound being Wound so as to form a substantially cylindrical cartridge of alternate layers of the moisture absorbent material and the exothermic compound, the amount of absorbent material relative to the compound used being such as to absorb a sumcient amount of Water to activate all of the compound substantially simultaneously without super-saturating the same.

7. A method of manufacturing an exothermic heating element which comprises providing a sheet of. moisture absorbent material, placing a layer of exothermic compound in a dry state thereon, and then winding said sheet and compound helically to form a substantially solid cylindrical cartridge composed of alternate layers of the absorbent material and exothermic compound. g

8. A method of manufacturing an exothermic heating element of the character described which comprises providing a sheet of moisture absorbent material, placing a layer of exothermic compound in a dry state thereon, folding over the side edges of said sheet to retain said compound, then winding the said sheet helically to form a substantially solid cylindrical cartridge, and then securing said sheet in a wound condition.

9. An exothermic heating element comprising a thin absorbent envelope containing a substantially uniform distributed exothermic com-- pound in a dry state, said envlope and its contents being helically wound with its consecutive convolutions in contact.

. JOHN A. SIEBERT. 

